The lack of sunshine exposure in many babies and small children has led to an upsurge in vitamin D deficiency and rickets.
“Since we don’t want infants and children unprotected in the sun, we are now recommending vitamin D drops for all babies,” said Dr. Steven Abrams, a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “In addition, there is increasing recognition that maintaining adequate vitamin D intake is important for all ages, from infants to the elderly.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently revised its guidelines to recommend that all infants from 2 months of age, children and adolescents receive 200 IU of vitamin D per day. The previous recommendation was supplementation for exclusively breastfed infants at risk for developing rickets, a soft-bone disease.
Infant formulas and cow’s milk are fortified with vitamin D at the levels needed by infants and toddlers. However, breast milk does not contain enough vitamin D for some babies, especially those with dark skin who have limited sunshine exposure.
Once called the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D is a hormone required for proper calcium absorption and bone mineralization.
“The body can make all the vitamin D it needs when the skin is exposed to sunlight,” said Abrams, also a researcher at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor. “However, the dangers of skin cancer have caused us to recommend that everyone, including young infants, be protected with a sunblock when exposed to sunlight. That sunblock also prevents the production of vitamin D.”
Vitamin D is not easily obtained through diet. Certain types of fish are good sources, and some soy beverages, fruit juices, and ready-to-eat cereals are fortified with the vitamin. Checking food labels is the best way to see if vitamin D has been added.
While the emphasis on vitamin D’s benefits has focused on its role in calcium absorption and strengthening bones in children, Abrams said more evidence is pointing to the health benefits of the vitamin throughout life.
“It may have a role in preventing some diseases, like cancer,” he said. “And adults who take calcium without taking vitamin D may not be getting the most benefit from the calcium.” -Baylor College of Medicine
TOKYO – A species of shark (Frilled Shark) rarely seen alive because its natural habitat is 2,000 feet or more under the sea was captured on film by staff at a Japanese marine park, January, 2007.
The Awashima Marine Park in Shizuoka, south of Tokyo, was alerted by a fisherman at a nearby port on Sunday that he had spotted an odd-looking eel-like creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth.
Marine park staff caught the 5-foot long creature, which they identified as a female frilled shark, sometimes referred to as a “living fossil” because it is a primitive species that has changed little since prehistoric times.
The shark appeared to be in poor condition when park staff moved it to a seawater pool where they filmed it swimming and opening its jaws.
“We believe moving pictures of a live specimen are extremely rare,” said an official at the park. “They live between 600 and 1,000 meters under the water, which is deeper than humans can go.”
A rare frilled shark swims in a tank in Numazu, Japan, January 27, 2007.
“We think it may have come close to the surface because it was sick, or else it was weakened because it was in shallow waters,” the official said.
The shark died a few hours after being caught.
Frilled sharks, which feed on other sharks and sea creatures, are sometimes caught in the nets of trawlers but are rarely seen alive.